Mettler Toledo has released a new white paper entitled ‘Rapid Analysis of Continuous Reaction Optimisation Experiments: Vapourtec R-Series and Mettler Toledo FlowIR Integration.’ It joins the firm’s collection of technical resources.
The new paper demonstrates the value of FlowIR, an inline, non-destructive method of rapidly accessing reaction optimisation data and accurately mapping dispersion curves, along with the benefit of integrating data from FlowIR with Vapourtec Flow Commander software.
The collaboration gives users a greater insight into their chemistry, and the improved data integration enables the automatic triggering of the collection of the optimum fraction within a reaction plug as measured in situ by FlowIR. The resulting time-savings are critical to staying ahead in today’s fast-paced global manufacturing marketplace, the firm says.
The paper highlights two examples where FlowIR was used as the key inline diagnostic tool to optimise reaction conditions quickly and easily by viewing in situ the effects of changing process variables (residence time, temperature, stoichiometry, etc). The synthetic chemistries profiled were chosen because of the challenges inherent in analysing them using standard offline techniques.
The first, Doebner Modification of the Knoevenagel Condensation Reaction, provided an ideal example to optimise using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy because it is difficult to follow by standard laboratory Liquid Chromatography (LC) methods as it involves a lengthy work-up.
In the second example, One Step Synthesis of Substituted Indazoles, a number of intermediates are formed under mild conditions. Having an in situ tool allows these to be followed by their unique IR profile and enables the easy optimisation of this type of chemistry.
For both chemistries, profile data from FlowIR was logged and displayed in real time within Vapourtec Flow Commander software – a benefit users of FlowIR can now enjoy due to tighter integration between the two systems and the ongoing collaboration between Mettler Toledo and Cambridge, UK-based Vapourtec.
Mettler Toledo’s experts note that as multi-step sequences and downstream processing become more common, in situ analysis techniques such as the one represented by the Mettler Toledo-Vapourtec collaboration will continue gaining in importance.
